"We do have some differences and our approaches will be different, but that makes him his own person. I mean why should he [Rand] be a clone and do everything and think just exactly as I have. I think it's an opportunity to be independent minded. We are about 99% [the same on issues]." Ron Paul

Just months ago, 18-year-old Ayat Al-Qassab danced with her family as she celebrated her marriage. Now, her shattered and bloodied body lies in a grave below the crumbling buildings of Homs. As her parents bury their third child, they celebrate and thank God for her martyrdom.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels fired warning shots at an airliner preparing to take off from Aleppo airport in the first direct attack on a civilian flight since the uprising in Syria began 21 months ago, a rebel commander said on Friday.

The commander, who gave his name only as Khaldoun, told Reuters by Skype that snipers from his brigade had hit the wheels of Syrian Airways flight RB201 on Thursday.

"Those were warning shots," he said, adding that the plane had been unable to take off. "We wanted to send a message to the regime that all their planes - military and civilian - are within our reach."

There were no immediate reports of the incident on Syrian state media.

Rebels accuse the government of using civilian aircraft to transport weapons and Iranian fighters they say are helping President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Insurgents have cut off many of the road links to Aleppo, Syria's biggest city.

Fighting around Damascus has made the road to the capital's international airport unsafe for traffic. Foreign airlines have stopped flying there. According to flight schedules, the Cairo-bound RB201 usually flies from Damascus rather than Aleppo.

"What happened with Damascus airport will happen to Aleppo, even if the price is higher," Khaldoun said in reference to battles convulsing Aleppo since July.

Another rebel urged civilians not to use Aleppo airport or Syrian Air flights "as they will be targets from now on".

Just months ago, 18-year-old Ayat Al-Qassab danced with her family as she celebrated her marriage. Now, her shattered and bloodied body lies in a grave below the crumbling buildings of Homs. As her parents bury their third child, they celebrate and thank God for her martyrdom.

[SNIPPED]"Those were warning shots," he said, adding that the plane had been unable to take off. "We wanted to send a message to the regime that all their planes - military and civilian - are within our reach."
[SNIPPED]

GTFOH 'those were warning shots.' They just had such rusty, piece of shit AA guns that they couldn't line up the shot. I'm sure word will come down that they better knock that shit off. Can't drum up American support with a blown up airplane. Of course, they could always say Assad was the one who blew it up.

“The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.” --George Orwell

First, they don't know the difference between a civilian plane and a military airliner.

Second, they obviously lack discipline as their leader had to tell them not to shoot. Also, one dude had a flag tied around his neck, which suggests they have no uniform standards...or for that matter no military training at all.

While its kind of broad conclusion to make based on the crew of one anti-aircraft gun, the rebels have got to be getting a LOT of help to have made the kind of progress they've made. Those guys don't seem like they could fight their way out of a wet paper bag.

I just want to weigh in with another thought here. We've been giving money and support to the Syrian rebels for a while. These situation tend to get messy in terms of who gets what money and which weapons (think Afghanistan post soviet withdrawal). Since Al-Qaida is in Syria, won't some our money and support inevitably go to Al-Qaida? I remember 9/11...so any situation which even has the hint of supporting Al-Qaida seems like a really, really bad idea to me.

Since Al-Qaida is in Syria, won't some our money and support inevitably go to Al-Qaida? I remember 9/11...so any situation which even has the hint of supporting Al-Qaida seems like a really, really bad idea to me.

Our gov has been sending money to Al-Qaeda for a very long time I don't imagine they will stop now

It's all about taking action and not being lazy. So you do the work, whether it's fitness or whatever. It's about getting up, motivating yourself and just doing it.